


Halfway House

by romeoandjulietyouwish



Series: Lis Writes Mighty Nein [6]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Holidays, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Canon, Pre-Stream (Critical Role), Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27907783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romeoandjulietyouwish/pseuds/romeoandjulietyouwish
Summary: Seven winters before the Mighty Nein meet, and one after.
Relationships: Caduceus Clay & Melora the Wildmother, Dairon & Beauregard Lionett, Eodwulf & Caleb Widogast, Fjord & Vandran (Critical Role), Jester Lavorre & Marion Lavorre | Ruby of the Sea, Luc Brenatto & Yeza Brenatto & Nott | Veth Brenatto, The Mighty Nein & The Mighty Nein, Una Ermendrud & Caleb Widogast, Yasha/Zuala (Critical Role), Yeza Brenatto/Nott | Veth Brenatto
Series: Lis Writes Mighty Nein [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2026874
Comments: 6
Kudos: 46





	Halfway House

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this has been in my head for a while and I finally wrote it! Also I'm sorry Cad's part is so short, I love him, but he's so hard to write!
> 
> Also this is partially inspired by the song Country House by Delta Rae

Veth quickly closes the front door, shutting out the biting wind. She shivers a little as she stomps her boots on the mat in the doorway before toeing them off. The warmth of the house is inviting with a fire in the fireplace and the smell of dinner wafting from the kitchen. 

As she begins to take off her jacket and mittens, Yeza pokes his head out from the kitchen and smiles when he sees her, “You’re back early.” 

“I know,” she pulls off her hat and hangs it up as well. “Abram sent me home early to spend time with my family.” 

Veth matches Yeza’s smile as she meets him in the kitchen. Yeza kisses her cheek, his arms falling around her waist, “Remind me to thank him later.” Veth nestles into his arms and sticks her cold fingers under the hem of his shirt. Yeza jerks back with a yelp. “You’re freezing!” 

Veth laughs and is suddenly squished into a tight hug by her husband. Yeza rubs his hands up and down her back in an attempt to warm her up. She snuggles closer to him, inhaling the familiar smell of wood and metal. 

“Where’s the boy?” Veth her head back, keeping her arms around his waist. As if cued by his mother’s voice, a soft coo comes from the cradle in the corner of the kitchen. Veth is immediately at the side of the cradle, looking down at her son. The baby garbles and reaches up for his mama. 

The second Veth lifts him into her arms, he’s smiling. As Veth settles him into her arms, Luc looks up at her with wide, adoring eyes. Yeza smiles fondly at his wife and son, “He already has a favorite.” 

Veth makes a soft noise of agreement. “He already knows who’s boss around here,” Veth says as she rocks him gently. She feels Yeza’s arms wrap around her waist and his head perch on her shoulder. 

“I love you.”

“Do you love me enough to finish making dinner?” Veth teases. 

“Of course,” Yeza presses a kiss to her shoulder. “As long as you try to put him down. He didn’t want to nap today.” 

“Seems like a fair trade.” 

As Yeza heads back into the kitchen, Veth walks slowly from the living room into the bedroom. Through the windows she can see the snow whipping around in the wind, settling deep on the frozen ground. The fireplace in their bedroom is already lit, warming up the room and casting a golden light over everything. On their bed is a thick quilt that Yeza’s mother gifted to them when they got married. The room is decorated with many of Veth’s collections: her jars of buttons, wax seals, and ribbons line the top of the dresser and the shelf above it. On Veth’s side of the bed is Luc’s bassinet. 

As she paces around the room, Luc lets out a little yawn, setting more into his mother’s arms. His eyes blink heavily and Veth can see him fighting to stay away. But she begins to hum a soft lullaby, Luc’s eyes fall closed. She finishes the song and lays Luc down, careful not to jostle him. 

She watches him for a few moments, just to make sure he’s asleep. “Veth?” Yeza calls softly. “Dinner’s ready.” 

“I’m coming,” She tells him. As she starts to leave, she takes one last look at her sleeping child before leaving the room and joining her husband for dinner. 

* * *

Beau sits in her bedroom, looking out the window. Her knees are pulled to her chest and her arms are wrapped around her legs. The window overlooks the sprawling fields and the forest beyond them. In the harvest season, the air is filled with the thick, sickly sweet scent of grapes. But now the vines are brown as the first snow of the season begins to fall. Snow doesn’t stick in Kamordah, not like it does up North. She knows that the flurries will be melted in a few hours. 

She dreams of running away, of taking off through the fields and disappearing into the woods before her parents even know she’s gone. They probably wouldn’t care much, she muses, they might be better off for it. They could stop pretending to be happy. Maybe her parents could finally have that son they’ve always wanted.

She leans her forehead against the cold glass and closes her eyes. With each year she grows, she sees her father’s distaste and her mother’s indifference for her only grow. They’ve told her since the day she was born that she was not the child they wanted. Maybe, she thinks, there’s a family out there that she was supposed to belong to and she just got mixed up. She imagines two parents holding her tight, pressing kisses to her head, telling her they love her. But she shakes herself from that reverie quickly, even the thought of it is too foreign. 

She hears the front door slam and she whips towards her bedroom door, as though her father might storm in any second. Hearing his pounding footsteps from downstairs, she immediately climbs off the windowsill, and walks over to her desk, pulling out her books and pretends to read.

The first winter she spends at the Cobalt Soul isn’t much better. She’s still alone. But there’s more snow, not much more, but it sticks to the ground for a little longer in Zadash. She doesn’t have to pretend to be happy for her parents, she’s not put on display here, but she’s still alone and unwanted. 

Beau gazes out the window of her room at the Reserve, absentmindedly folding her clothes. Flurries of snow whip by in the wind and settle lightly on the roofs of the buildings. There’s a knock at the door. “It’s open,” Beau calls, quickly resuming her task. The door swings open and Dairon steps in, their arms crossed. Beau furrows her brow, “Did I do something wrong?” 

“Take a walk with me, bring your jacket,” Dairon jerks their head towards the door. Beau quickly does as she’s told and follows her mentor out of the Soul and into the street. The snow is falling gently, just dusting the city, catching on people’s coats and hair. Beau pretends that it’s not one of the most beautiful things she has ever seen. 

Darion just walks beside her in silence, their boots crunching in the inch or so of snow on the road. After a minute or so, Beau looks over at them. “So... Why did you make me come out here?” 

“To show you the city. You have a purpose now, Beauregard. One you have to take seriously.” Darion keeps their eyes straight forward. “All of these people count on the Soul to keep things orderly and to keep those in power in check.” 

They nod to a pair of children running past, their parents following quickly behind, trying to keep up. Then to an old halfling man changing the window display of his shop. Beau looks where her mentor guides her, seeing the people of Zadash as they bustle about their business. She keeps her face blank as she sees parents swinging their kids from their arms and carrying them on their shoulders. 

“Without us, their lives would be left to the whims of a government who doesn’t care one bit about them.” Dairon stops Beau in the middle of the street and faces her. “You have a job to do, Beauregard. There are hundreds of people counting on you. They need you to focus up and start paying attention.”

Dairon’s severe look at her makes her gulp. “I understand,” Beau nods.

Dairon claps her on the shoulder, “Good. I’ll see you back at the Reserve.” With that, they walk away, leaving Beau standing in the middle of the street. 

She pulls her coat a little more closed as the wind shifts, the snow catching in her hair. Looking back at the Reserve and then back to the snowy streets of Zadash, Beau smiles a little. She’s got time before she’s got to be back at the Soul. 

* * *

“Bren!” His mother calls from the door. “Come inside!” 

Bren’s head shoots up at his mother’s call. He’s currently sitting knee-deep in the fluffy snow that had fallen over Blumenthal the night before. In front of him is a small snowman with stick arms and leaves for its eyes. Across from him is Eodwulf, both of them wear worn out winter clothes, knit mittens and hats with small holes and loose threads, boots with worn down soles, and hand me down jackets that are both a little too big on them. 

At the sound of Bren’s mother’s voice, Eodwulf groans and stands, “Bye.”

Bren laughs at his friend and stands. “Coming!” He bounds through the snow, sinking deep with every step, in some places past his knees. When he gets up to his house, his mother smiles affectionately at him and ushers him inside. Once the door is closed, she takes off his hat and ruffles his hair. 

“Take your things off and come sit by the fire,” she says. “I’ll make you some hot chocolate. Bring your things to dry by the fire.” 

Bren grins and eagerly begins taking off his outdoor clothes. He carries everything across the small home to the fireplace. Bren sets his boots, coat, hat, and mittens up so they will dry overnight. Once that’s taken care of, he sits down on the rug between his mother and his father’s chairs. He rubs his hands together and extends them towards the flames. 

After a few minutes, his mother sits down on the chair beside him and offers him a steaming cup, Bren takes it eagerly. He takes a generous sip, feeling the cinnamon and chocolate warming him up from the inside. As his mother drinks her own cup, she begins to run her fingers through his hair. It’s getting a bit long now and it’s starting to curl at the ends. 

As they drink, Bren pulls his book into his lap and begins to read quietly, letting the fire warm him up. He feels his mother begin to braid back his hair, the ends damp from the snow. She begins to hum softly, a song that has his eyes drooping with exhaustion. It only takes him a few moments to fall asleep, his head in his mother’s lap.

Many years later, Caleb turns his coat collar up against the cold, the snow so thick he can hardly see ten feet in front of him. He’s shivering, his shoes and coat both too flimsy to stand the freezing wind and snow. He instinctively calls out for his mother, but he knows she won’t answer. He’s all alone in the dead of winter. 

* * *

Yasha trudges through the snow, squinting against the reflection of the sun in the white snow that surrounds her when all of a sudden a ball of snow hits her on the back of the shoulder. Yasha turns to look at her and raises her eyebrows. Zuala grins and tosses another at her, this time hitting her in the chest. 

“You really want to do this right now?” Yasha asks, trying her best to remain serious. It’s very difficult when Zuala’s cheeks are rosy from the cold and she’s smiling so widely at her. Yasha’s heart flutters at her laugh.

Zuala shrugs, “We’re all alone out here. No better time.” She leans down and forms another snowball. She holds it up, ready to throw. “Because I am merciful, I will give you ten seconds to ready your weapon.” 

Yasha grins and immediately crouches down to make a snowball. As she stands up, Zuala’s snowball hits her in her hip. Yasha wastes no time in hurling her’s right back. It hits her in the shoulder and based on her reaction, some of the show must slip down her shirt. 

The women pelt each other back and forth with snowballs, both laughing wildly, their hair getting caked with ice and their cheeks growing even redder. They stumble closer to each other as they dodge the snowballs. Zuala puts her hands on Yasha’s shoulders and pushes her back into the snow. Yasha yanks her down as well, Zuala landing right on top of her. 

Their laughter dissipates as they make eye contact, their puffs of cold breath mingling between them. “Is anyone around?” Yasha asks quietly. Zuala looks around before shaking her head, looking back at Yasha. “Good.” She lifts her hand to rest in Zuala’s hair and gently presses her down to kiss her. 

Both of their lips are cold and chapped, but neither of them cares. Yasha doesn’t care one bit about the snow melting against her back or the copious amounts of snow she’s sure are inside her boots. How can she care when a woman as beautiful as Zuala is currently kissing her. Yasha feels Zuala smile against her lips and all of a sudden snow hits her in the face. With a yelp of surprise, Yasha throws Zuala off of her. Zuala laughs brightly at Yasha’s face. 

As Yasha wipes the snow off, she turns to her wife, “You are so lucky I love you.” 

Zuala saunters over to her and wraps her arms around her neck, pressing a kiss to her cold cheek. “I love you too.”

Yasha blushes a little, hopefully Zuala just attributes the cold air. “We should head back, they’ll be wondering where we are.” 

Just like that, the mood drops. Zuala steps back from her, looking down at the ground. “Yeah. You’re right.” She sighs, straightening her coat. “Let’s go.” As they set off, Yasha makes sure to keep her distance from Zuala. She can’t be seen any closer than a friendly distance to Zuala, even though all she wants to do is lace their fingers together and walk back to the group side by side.

* * *

Fjord’s never had a family, not that he can remember at least. When he looks down at Port Damali, it’s hard not to be jealous of the families that pass below. He is always surrounded by the other kids at the orphanage, crammed as many as they can be into one room. He keeps to himself as best he can, none of the other kids want to be close to a “half breed”. It’s strange to feel so alone around so many people. 

He finds that he aches for a family most during the winter, when he sees families hug their sailors as they come home for whatever winter holidays they celebrate. They don’t celebrate any holidays at the orphanage. 

When he leaves the orphanage and joins the crew of a ship called The Tide’s Breath, he’s surprised to find how much of a family they are. The older members of the crew ruffle his hair when they pass, share meals with him, and never make him feel less than for who he is. 

One night he’s working on the deck and the wind is biting cold. Living on the coast his whole life, Fjord has never truly experienced cold weather, needless to say, he’s completely unprepared for how cold the wind on the open ocean can be, especially in the winter. 

One of the older men in the crew sighs heavily when he sees him shaking and tosses his coat over his small frame. “Don’t freeze to death, kid, we got work to do.” Fjord blushes sheepishly and tugs the coat on, having to roll up the sleeves to get his hands through. 

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” The sailor lightly slaps him on the back and continues on his way. 

After a few hours, when he makes it below decks, nearly shaking from the cold wind, Vandran comes up to him, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “Come on, boy, let’s get you warmed up.” Fjord looks at him curiously, Vandran leads him to the galley where several other crewmates are hunkered down over steaming bowls of stew. 

Vandran squeezes his shoulder and nods for him to sit down beside the others. Fjord does so, pulling the borrowed coat a little tighter around himself. The other crew mates lift their heads as he sits down and fjord has to stop himself from squirming under their gaze. 

After a few moments, Vandran sits beside him and nudges over a bowl of stew, “Eat up.”

Fjord stirs it around a little and takes a bite before looking over at Vandran. “Why are you helping me?” 

Vandran scoffs, “You’re a kid who grew up in Port Damali. There’s no way in hell you know how to deal with the cold.” 

“We take care of our own,” the elven man on the other side of the table says. “Don’t need a reason to, that’s just how it is.” 

Fjord smiles a little and takes another bite. “It’s nice.” 

Vandran ruffles his hair. “Get used to it, boy. You’re part of this family now.” 

Fjord feels his heart rise in his chest at those words and it’s not the stew or the borrowed jacket that’s warming him up.

* * *

“Have you ever seen snow?” Jester asks as she doodles in her notebook. She lays on her stomach on her bed, kicking her legs in the air.

The cloaked figure on the edge of the bed hums a little, “Not in a very long time. It’s beautiful though, you’d love it.” 

“I know!” Jester continues to draw herself standing in falling snow beside a green figure. “But it doesn’t snow here. Mama says it’s too warm. I wish it would though. I think it’d be so pretty.”

“Maybe one day you’ll see it,” the Traveller tells her. There’s a pause as he leans over to look at her sketchbook. “That drawing is lovely by the way.” 

“Thanks!” Jester grins at him. 

“I have to go now, Jester. But I’ll see you soon.” She feels his hand brush over the top of her head. 

Jester frowns, “Okay. Bye!”

And with that, the Traveller vanishes. Jester draws quietly for a few more minutes before a knock comes at her door. As she looks up, her bedroom door opens, revealing her mama on the other side. Marion’s deep red skin is complemented by the forest green dress she wears, her hair is tied elegantly out of her eyes. 

“Mama!” Jester runs to her mother’s arms as Marion leans down to pick her up, swinging her around before settling her on her hip. 

“Hello, my little sapphire,” Marion plants a kiss on her daughter’s head, between her growing horns. “The decorations are ready.” 

Jester’s eyes widen and she grins, “Can we go see them?”

“Why of course,” Marion says. “That’s why I came to get you.” 

Every year when it gets to wintertime, the Chateau staff decorate the entire building to be a winter wonderland. While they decorate, Jester is always told to stay in her room, mostly to keep her out of the feet of the decorators, but also to make the surprise even better when she sees it for the first time. 

Jester’s mama sets her on her feet and, taking her hand, leads her out of her bedroom and into the hallway. Jester’s eyes light up immediately as she sees the hallway. Hanging from the ceiling are paper snowflakes in silver and white, dangling a few feet above her mother’s head. Garland is draped along the walls in elegant scallops.

Jester squeezes her mother’s hand in excitement as they walk down towards the stage. The hallways are mostly the same, but she knows that the stage and the house will be where the most lavish decorations will be. Marion smiles down at her daughter with just as much excitement. 

When they arrive at the top of the stairs, looking down at the stage and the tables, Jester can’t hold in her gasp. 

The stairs themselves are covered in a dark green carpet, replacing the previous red, and along the banisters there appear to be icicles hanging from the railing. The ceiling is covered with the same silver and white snowflakes, now with gold as well. And the walls have been covered with panel paintings of winter scenes: an ice-covered lake, a snowy forest, a bustling city with snow-dusted buildings. The paintings surround the entire room. On either side of the stage are three fir trees, heavily dusted with snow and icicles. 

The Chateau staff, including Bluud, all wait eagerly at the bottom of the stairs to witness the little girl’s reaction. Jester can’t hold in her excitement any longer and bolts down the stairs, laughing giddily. She doesn’t even notice if her mother follows her as she explores the room and the paintings. 

After a few minutes, Jester settles down and gets close to inspect the paintings. She finds herself lingering on one painting of a woman and a little girl facing a small frozen pond with a small dock extending from the land. The woman and the girl are holding hands, the little girl pulling the woman towards the dock. There is snow caught in their hair and their cheeks are rosy red. 

“That’s my favorite too,” Marion says as she places a hand on Jester’s shoulder. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

“Mama?” Jester turns to look up at her. “Will I ever get to see snow for real?” 

Her mother smiles at her, “I have no doubt about it.”

“Will you see it with me?”

The smiles Marion gives Jester is just a little tight around her mouth, but she squeezes Jester’s hand. “Maybe we’ll see snow for the first time together.” 

* * *

Caduceus lowers himself into his chair, holding a steaming cup of tea in his hands. His eyes are fixed on the glass pane in the door. He imagines that any second the door could swing open and his family would come running in. But the door remains closed, snow falling gently from above, coating the trees and the gravestones. 

If he closes his eyes, he can imagine the sounds of Colton and Calliope fighting about how to properly stoke the fire. He can hear his mother and father in the kitchen, spoons clinking against porcelain as they make cups of tea, perfect to everyone's specifications. He can hear his aunt, Corrin, gently chiding Clarabelle for tracking snow through the house again. It’s familiar and warm. 

But the howling wind pulls him from his mind, forcing him to face the cold house and empty walls by himself. With a sigh, Caduceus rises from his chair, setting his tea aside, and kneels down in front of the fire in the fireplace. He pokes at it and adds another log, standing when he’s satisfied that it will keep him warm for a little while longer at least. 

As he sits back down in his chair, Caduceus swears he can feel hands on his shoulders. He hears a voice whisper, “It’s going to be alright.” A warm feeling runs through his veins at the sound of the Wildmother’s voice. 

He smiles a little and sips his tea. Caduceus doesn’t know how long he stares out the window, just watching the snow fall slowly to the ground. Eventually, he gets up to warm up another pot of tea and just as he is about to return to his chair with his fresh cup, there’s a knock on the door.

* * *

“Caleb!” Jester calls, knocking rapidly on his bedroom door. “Are you coming?”

“Ja! Give me a moment!” Caleb furiously scribbles one more note before shutting his books and walking briskly to his door. The second he opens it, he’s being dragged from the room by a blue tiefling. He sighs but doesn’t fight her as Jester pulls him to the dining room of the Xhorhouse. 

The smells hit him first. It smells of warmth and seasonings and freshly made bread and cinnamon and all of the wonderful smells he associates with wintertime in the Empire. All of his friends bustle around, readying things for dinner. Caduceus is ferrying trays of food to and from the kitchen, each platter seemingly more heaped with food than the one before it. Yasha seems to be setting the table. Beau, instead of helping set the table, is laying down on the bench, talking to Yasha and whoever passes by her. As Caleb passes her, he shoves her feet onto the ground. 

“What the hell, man!” She exclaims with no real malice. Caleb just smiles at her as he walks by. 

Yasha pats Beau on the head as she passes, setting down cups of ale and tea (for those who won’t drink), which seems to placate Beau for the time being. Fjord is crouching in front of the fireplace, loading in enough logs to last them for the rest of the night. 

“Caleb?” Veth calls from the kitchen. “Can you help me?” 

“Ja.” Caleb leaves the dining room and enters the kitchen which is significantly hotter with the stoves and ovens. There he sees Veth precariously balancing a basket of bread on top of another tray of drinks. He quickly scoops the bread away, narrowly avoiding both falling to the ground. 

As Veth smiles up at him, he sees a warm glow of happiness in her eyes, something that’s been missing for a long time. Though he loves all of them, it makes him feel warm on the inside to see her so joyful. He puts his hand on her back and pushes her towards the dining room. Their friends are talking loudly to each other over the sound of crackling firewood and the clanging of plates and silverware benign settled on the table. Caduceus claps Caleb on the shoulder as he enters the dining room and nudges him to sit down.

As they all sit down, Caleb looks around and sees all of his friends flush with happiness. He feels a warmth blooming in his chest and he knows they’re all feeling it too. The home feels alight with the love that thrums between them. As they begin to pass food around and heap their plates full, his eyes find the mantle of the fireplace where several candles are lit, a tradition of Barren Eve. 

Most of them are not of the Empire, but once Caleb and Beauregard explained the holiday as one of remembrance and family, not a single one of them was opposed to the idea of celebrating the holiday. 

Two candles for Una and Leofric, one for Zuala, one for Vandran and one for the rest of the crew, one for Caduceus’s family, wherever they are, one for Mollymauk. 

It’s strange, they’re in the middle of an unfamiliar country with dangers around every corner, but not a single one of them has felt more at home. They all find themselves with smiles plastered to their faces as they laugh and talk loudly, their joy seeming to echo off the walls. In the time before there have been hardships and uncertainties, and they all know that there are sure to be several in the future, but for now they are happy to know that they are safe, warm, and loved in this house surrounded by their family. 


End file.
